motivation nation

I have always been on a diet. ALWAYS. I was quite plump at a young age and my mother put me on one. In 5th grade my favorite after school activity was Tae-Bo, and in high school Xenedrine still had phen-phen in it and was $18.99 at Longs.  I am pretty sure I have been around the same size since 8th grade - I could wear the same jeans from freshman year through senior - and no matter how extreme my diet or workout routine became, my weight always juggled 5-10lbs. Then college came - hello 10 lbs. Then work came, no one prepares you for 8hr + days and what a toll that takes on your body! (I mean yes there are long classes in school - but after 5 hours you get up and walk half a mile to the next one!) Then you move - the emotional strain (good and bad), the physical exhaustion of looking for a new place, making new friends and finding your new favorite watering hole.. When I moved to San Francisco last April - I lost 12lbs instantly, walking everywhere, running around, stressing about little things and after about a month I gained it all back plus some... blah blah story of my life. Then I got the boyfriend - hello comfort weight! Well, finally I woke up one morning and thought... nope, not any more. 

After a short stint with a personal trainer (and a long term commitment to my health and workout club) - I learned what and when to eat and how to work out. 

In 3 weeks I lost 7lbs of fat and lowered my BMI 6%... For the first time ever, I am so stoked - I work out like a normal person and eat right - and it REALLY works. 

So here I am, pretty sick of chicken and broccoli for each meal - and in order not to detour from my plans and my goal to just be healthy (I see a 5k in my near future!) I love food, and I love to cook - my boyfriend loves food  and my cooking even more - until lately... all these healthy recipes are not as satisfying for him.

 I can not be the ONLY person this is happening to! So here it is - One recipe, two appetites. 

The base is the healthy recipe, for us watching their figure and the additions are for the hungry man sitting next to us at the dinner table. Most of the recipes taste amazing on their own - but I will admit, some do need that extra dose of cheese (my thigh however, don't.)